Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Financially successful; thriving: Describes a state of economic well-being, wealth, or success in material terms.
   • Favorable; conducive to success: Indicates conditions that are advantageous and likely to lead to good fortune or positive outcomes.
   • Flourishing; marked by vigorous growth and activity: Refers to a period or state of lively, profitable, and successful operation.

Examples of Usage

• Describing financial success:
  • The family built a prosperous business over three generations.
  • After years of hard work, they finally became prosperous.
• Describing favorable conditions:
  • The prosperous winds allowed the ship to arrive ahead of schedule.
  • It was a prosperous time to invest in new technology.
• Describing a flourishing state:
  • The town grew into a prosperous commercial center.
  • We are living in a prosperous era of innovation.

Advanced Usage

• "to do a prosperous trade": to engage in very successful and profitable business.
  • The company did a prosperous trade in exports last year.
• Used in formal or literary contexts to describe a golden age or halcyon days.
  • The historian wrote about the prosperous reign of the emperor.

Variants and Related Words

• Prosperity (n): the state of being prosperous.
  • Economic prosperity benefits the entire community.
• Prosper (v): to be successful, especially financially; to thrive.
  • May your new venture prosper.

Synonyms

• Thriving: growing or developing vigorously and successfully.
• Flourishing: developing rapidly and successfully.
• Wealthy: having a great deal of money or assets.
• Affluent: having a great deal of money; wealthy.
• Booming: having a period of great prosperity or rapid economic growth.

Antonyms

• Impoverished: reduced to poverty.
• Declining: becoming smaller, fewer, or less; decreasing.
• Unsuccessful: not achieving or not having achieved success.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To live in prosperous times: to live during a period of economic success and general well-being.
  • Our grandparents often spoke of living in prosperous times before the war.
• A prosperous venture: a business undertaking that is successful.
  • Their partnership turned out to be a prosperous venture.

Adjective

1. presaging or likely to bring good luck
   • a favorable time to ask for a raise
   • lucky stars
   • a prosperous moment to make a decision
2. marked by peace and prosperity
   • a golden era
   • the halcyon days of the clipper trade
3. very lively and profitable
   • flourishing businesses
   • a palmy time for stockbrokers
   • a prosperous new business
   • doing a roaring trade
   • a thriving tourist center
   • did a thriving business in orchids
4. in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
   • they were comfortable or even wealthy by some standards
   • easy living
   • a prosperous family
   • his family is well-situated financially
   • well-to-do members of the community